Category Archives: Book Review

This week’s special guest on Author Interview Thursday is Cheryl Carpinello. I’m really looking forward to having a good chat with her and get her to reveal a few tips on what’s working for her and keeps her going as an author. Cheryl writes Middle Grade books and today I wanted to shine a light on her latest tome – Sons of the Sphinx. Enjoy.

Historical background of Sons of the Sphinx:

Sons of the Sphinx is based on the schism that shot through ancient Egypt when, according to historians, the Pharaoh Akhenaten turned his back on Thebes and the gods of Egypt. He built his own city to honor his god the Aten, and he insisted that the people of Egypt do the same. Along with this, he supposedly refused to send troops to defend Egypt’s borders thus incurring the wrath of the then General Horemheb. When Tutankhamen becomes pharaoh, he reverses Akhenaten’s proclamations and returns the governing center to Thebes and the worship back to the god Amun.

However, the damage has been done, and by the time Horemheb attains pharaoh status, he has proclaimed the betrayal of the Egyptian people by Akhenaten so widely and so much, all members of the family including Tutankhamen and Ankhsenamun and Ay are dishonored.

The historical significance of my story is the main reason I was able to write Sons of the Sphinx. Needing to help right a wrong done over 3000 years ago and reunite the boy king with his queen (whose tomb has yet to be identified or found), allowed my protagonist Rosa to come to terms with who she is and what her place in this world is.

Synopsis:

Armed with what she considers her grandmother’s curse, 15-year-old Rosa agrees to help the ghost of King Tut find his lost queen Hesena. Though Hesena’s ba inhabits part of Rosa, finding the whole spirit of Hesena so that she and Tut can be together for the first time in over 3000 years proves to be a harder task than Rosa first thinks. Thrust back into Ancient Egypt with Tut, Rosa discovers that finding Hesena is not all she must do. She must keep out of the reach of the living Horemheb—who crosses mortal boundaries using Seth’s evil magic—if she is to stay alive to make it back home.

With each passing page I read in this book, the lump in my throat got bigger and bigger. The Fault in Our Stars is a book I feel privileged to have read and would whole-heartedly recommend for everyone to read. There’s nothing inherently new about the tale being told here. Boy meets girl and falls… Continue Reading

My first Harlan Coben book and will definitely not be my last.I just love the way Harlan Coben writes. I think most authors struggle to pull of writing in the second person but you feel like Harlan’s having a conversation with you – the Reader – as you read this book.It’s a story with many… Continue Reading

Just by looking at the book cover and the title, you immediately know that the main protagonist – Joe – is going to be placed in certain situations that will test him and cause him to overcome any internal or external forces pulling him to buckle under. I’m happy to say that this book does… Continue Reading

Sometimes, you pick up a book and you don’t get hooked till a few pages or chapters in. Most times, (I suspect like most people), I don’t have the patience to discover this ‘hook’ if it’s not present in the first few pages. A Life for a Life got me hooked in the first few… Continue Reading

I picked up Christopher Greyson’s book ‘Girl Jacked’ after seeing the glowing reviews on the Amazon website. While you could classify it as a mystery thriller, it doesn’t conform to some norms in this genre. As in any mystery novel, you expect your sleuths to engage their wits in uncovering the perpetrator of a heinous… Continue Reading

Stephen King said in his book ‘On Writing’ that there are 2 things every writer should do: Read a lot and Write a lot. I try to do both but sometimes one of these activities supersedes the other. I’m currently in a read a lot mode. The book I’m currently reading is called ‘Girl Jacked’… Continue Reading

Every now and then I go into a local bookstore to read a few pages from the books on display. I sometimes find a gem that I either buy on the spot or buy later on Amazon. A few Fridays ago I found such a gem – I am Nit a Loser by Jim Smith. I… Continue Reading

I’m happy to announce that one of our special guests, Charlotte K. Omillin from Author Interview Thursday has some of her books on sale. She’s recently released book Number 8 and 9 in the popular ‘The Adventure of Zeppi Series.’ You can grab a copy for just 99cents! You can get The Adventures of Zeppi #8:… Continue Reading

While at the London Book Fair earlier this year, I went to one seminar that offered freebies at the end. One of the freebies was a hardback edition of ‘Who Could That Be At This Hour? By Lemony Snicket. It’s been on my to-do list for quite a while and I finally got round to… Continue Reading